avatarJim McAulay🍁 I'm nobody. Are you a nobody too?

Summary

In a brief story, a bandit leader uses a deceptive test to identify and punish a liar within his group.

Abstract

The story, titled "The Bandit Leader and The Liar," recounts a 50-word tale where the leader of a bandit group devises a method to uncover dishonesty among his members. After asking who is guilty of an unspecified transgression and receiving no response, he distributes branches from an oak tree, declaring that the liar's branch will miraculously grow overnight. Fearful of being caught, one bandit cuts his branch, revealing his guilt. The following morning, the bandit is hanged from the very oak tree from which the branches were taken, serving as a stark lesson about the consequences of lying and the leader's method of enforcing honesty.

Opinions

  • The bandit leader's approach implies a belief in the power of guilt and fear to expose a liar.
  • The story suggests that the bandit leader is both judge and executioner, wielding absolute power over his group.
  • The act of hanging the terrified bandit indicates a zero-tolerance policy for deceit within the bandit community.
  • The story may be seen as a cautionary tale about the dangers of dishonesty and the extreme measures taken to maintain trust among thieves.

The Bandit Leader and The Liar

A 50 word story

Source John Mackenzie

“Who is guilty?” asked the bandit leader.

When nobody answered, he cut branches from an oak tree and distributed them.

“Tonight the liar’s branch will grow longer,” he said.

That night a terrified bandit cut off part of his branch.

In the morning they hanged him from the oak tree.

Microfiction
50 Words
Recommended from ReadMedium
avatarLisa Marie Simmons
Suspended Moments

Reflections on Flight, Family, and Finding Home

10 min read
avatarKevin Beaumont
Recall: Stealing everything you’ve ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC is now possible.

Photographic memory comes to Windows, and is the biggest security setback in a decade.

9 min read
avatarMindy Stern
Adoption Is Trauma.

Part 2.

9 min read
avatarMike Range
It’s Hard to Get Good Help

He would know

1 min read
avatarMelissa Gray
I’m Struggling to Say Goodbye to My Home

But I want to embrace change with arms of faith

4 min read
avatarJulie Gaeta
22 Years of Marriage, 9 Kids Later: How His Affair Transformed My Life

Three unexpected gifts that came from our divorce.

9 min read